CamTESOL Sponsorship

Responding to the appeal below from JALT President & VP, Osaka JALT is proud to sponsor 5 local English teachers for the Cambodia TESOL conference in Phnom Penh on Feb. 25-26. 

It is not too late for individuals to also sponsor a teacher for just $60 (our income for just 1 or 2 lessons, when you think about it!) at: http://www.camtesol.org/index.php/sponsorship

-----Original Message----- From: Kevin Cleary
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 11:15 PM
To: Ebm-Net
Subject: [EBM-Net] Sponsor a Cambodian Teacher to attend CamTESOL

Dear colleagues,

Like you, we became teachers because we wanted to make a difference. We are thus very glad to give you the chance to make a big difference in the professional development of a teacher in Cambodia.

Do you remember the first time you attended a JALT conference? The excitement of meeting new friends, getting practical teaching tips and new ways of thinking about language teaching? How energized you were as you returned to the classroom, and how the friends you made and the things you learned helped you become a better teacher year after year? You can help ensure that deserving teachers in Cambodia get a similar experience, and all for $60 per sponsored teacher.

Cambodia is still a desperately poor country, but it is definitely on its way up and English teachers are playing a key part of the country's revival. Unfortunately, salaries for teachers, especially those in the provinces, are so low that only with help can they attend the CamTESOL conference, which will be held 25-26 February 2012 in Phnom Penh. Detailed information on the conference can be found here:
<http://www.camtesol.org/index.php/2012-conference>

CamTESOL is JALT's newest international partner, and we are working together to sponsor Cambodian teachers and give them their best opportunity for professional development in 2012. Your sponsorship fee will pay for a teacher's conference registration and transportation to and from Phnom Penh (lodging is usually free, and is on a homestay basis).

We urge JALT chapters, SIGs and individuals to considering sponsoring Cambodian teachers. Anyone who has attended CamTESOL comes away impressed by the enthusiasm with which the Cambodian teachers participate in their conference and inspired by their dedication. Let's support their development!

How to sponsor a teacher:
1. Individuals: Use the CamTESOL website; be sure to write your JALT affiliation in the comments box during the payment process.
<http://www.camtesol.org/index.php/sponsorship>

2. Chapters and SIGs: If your group wishes to sponsor one or more teachers, please use the CamTESOL website as above, and reimburse the paying officer. Also, be sure to put down your Chapter or SIG name in the comments box.
<http://www.camtesol.org/index.php/sponsorship>

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Thank you very much and we look forward to seeing you in June, if not earlier.

Kevin Cleary
President
president@jalt.org

Nathan Furuya
Vice President
vp@jalt.org

Vocabulary Research Help Request (40 min. vocab. test --online or paper-- for your university classes in April):

Vocabulary Research Help Request

(40 min. vocab. test --online or paper-- for your university classes in April):


Dear teachers,
 
We are writing to ask for your help with our one off vocabulary research project this spring.  We have received a JALT research grant for this project, and we are confident that it will be of use to teachers in the future.
 
Purpose
Vocabulary size is one of the strongest contributing factors to reading and listening comprehension. However, studies examining our students’ vocabulary sizes are sorely lacking. Thus, the primary goal of our research is to make informed general statements about different groups of Japanese University students' vocabulary size.  The secondary purpose of our research is to determine which factors may be useful in predicting vocabulary sizes for this population.
 
Sampling
In order to conduct this research we need a very large number of participants, so we are using a snowball sampling method. If you know of any other instructors who may be able to participate, please forward this e-mail to them.
 
Participation
If you are willing to use half of a class period (40 minutes) to have your students take a vocabulary test, we would really appreciate it.  This is NOT a longitudinal study so the test only needs to be given once in April 2012 if possible.  The test is available through a simple online interface or in paper form.  If you choose the online version we will email you the link and login information required; if you choose the paper version we will mail you the tests and a postage-paid return envelope.  In addition to our gratitude, teachers will also receive their students’ test results by e-mail as such knowledge may be beneficial even though the semester will have already begun.
If you are going to participate please reply to this mail ( vocabsizeresearch@gmail.com ) with the following information:
 
Teacher’s name
University name and campus
Department name
The department (faculty) of your students
The number of students
The academic year of the students
The approximate date you intend to administer the test
The hensachi of your department (if available, if not we can check it)
Please indicate which form of the test you will use: online or paper
The postal address where you would like to receive the tests (for paper versions only)
 
Thank you for your time.
 
Best wishes for 2012!
 
Stuart McLean     vocabsizeresearch@gmail.com
Tom Rush
Nicholas Hogg
Med TESOL Candidate
Temple University Japan

Collaborative Research as an Approach to Professional Development for Language Teachers: Greg Sholdt

The following is a summary of Greg Sholdt's presentation at the Winter Potpourri event, held January 29, 2012, entitled Collaborative Research as an Approach to Professional Development for Language Teachers. Greg can be contacted at gsholdt AT gmail.com.

By Greg Sholdt

First, let me thank Osaka JALT members for giving me the opportunity to present at the Winter Potpourri last Sunday. That was my third time with you all, and as usual, it was a treat. I was very impressed with the great turnout and the fantastic lineup of interesting presentations.

My presentation, Collaborative Research as an Approach to Professional Development for Language Teachers, covered two main topics-- the rationale for professional development activities for language teachers based on collaborative research projects and a description of a new project investigating writing fluency that has just started with a group of over 40 teachers. I first presented an argument for the benefits of teachers getting involved with classroom research including improved classroom practices, enhanced engagement with professional life, increased connections to the community of teachers, and strengthened employment opportunities. After describing two worthy approaches to doing research, action research and qualitative research, I made a case for some unique benefits for getting into quantitative research. I felt my point about being able to better comprehend quantitative research articles was well-received, but the room of language teachers seemed less convinced with my proclamation that numbers are exciting and fun to study!

I then identified three key aspects of my approach to professional development through quantitative research that included: 1) the critical and accessible nature of the fundamental concepts of quantitative methods, 2) the sensibility of starting with simple easy-to-complete research designs that can be used as practical learning experiences, and 3) the importance of collaborating and getting support during the learning process. I moved on to describe the execution of this approach with the Writing Fluency Project, which I have been developing for over a year. For this project, a group of over 40 teachers spread out around Japan have access to a Moodle site that serves as a project coordination center. The teachers meet online and are guided through all steps of a simple research study focused on the effects of the method of topic selection on students’ output in free writing exercises. Each teacher will separately conduct the study in their own classrooms but discuss the planning, procedures, execution, and data analysis throughout the entire process. Additionally, there is self-access learning center set up on the Moodle site with a guide to lead teachers through an online quantitative methods textbook so that they can all study and understand each step they take in the study. Key goals for the project include helping teachers get a better understanding of quantitative methods, building community and collaboration among teacher researchers in Japan, and developing a system of professional collaboration on research projects.

I am really excited about this project and the amazing team of teachers who are taking a lot of time out of their busy schedules to participate. Although it is still in the early stages, I feel we are well on our way to a valuable and enjoyable experience.